The present invention generally relates to more electric architecture (MEA), where traditionally hydraulic and pneumatic subsystems of an aircraft are replaced with electric loads.
Such electric loads may include electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHAs), electromechanical actuators (EMAs), advanced radar, and directed energy weapons (DEW).
Such loads may cause repeated, rapid, wide fluctuation of load currents (e.g., peak-to-average power ratios exceeding five to one with time intervals from fifty milliseconds to five seconds), regenerative power flow equal to peak power draw for brief periods of time (e.g., twenty to two hundred milliseconds), and poor power quality on a bus used to supply the electric loads.
As can be seen, there is a need for a way to meet stringent average, pulsed and regenerative power requirements and facilitate optimized real-time power flow control, management, delivery, and integrated protection among various sources of DC power and/or energy storage systems.